Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr will replace Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos as chief of the Western Command on Palawan island, which is the closest Philippine landmass to the hotly contested Spratly Islands.
The military said in a statement the move was part of "ongoing changes in leadership and key positions within the military which is necessary for the institution to adapt to evolving security environment and effectively address emerging challenges."
It follows a series of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea that have strained diplomatic ties.
These have included water cannon attacks by China Coast Guard vessels as well as minor collisions in recent months that Manila says damaged Philippine boats and injured several soldiers.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of the sea.
The announcement of Carlos' replacement follows a diplomatic row between Manila and Beijing over an alleged agreement struck by Chinese officials with the Western Command.
The Chinese embassy in Manila claims the deal related to conduct of Chinese and Philippine vessels around Second Thomas Shoal, which Beijing calls Ren'ai Jiao, where Filipino troops are stationed on a grounded naval vessel.
It alleged Manila reneged on the agreement, whose terms it has not made public, causing Chinese law enforcement to take "necessary measures" to protect their territory.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano have denied there was such an arrangement.
Ano later called for the expulsion of certain unnamed Chinese embassy officials he accused of violating Philippine laws, including allegedly wiretapping an unnamed Philippine military official.
Local media have quoted an unnamed Chinese embassy official as saying the deal called for limiting the number of Philippine supply vessels and escort boats to Second Thomas Shoal as well as Chinese vessels around the reef.
Marcos says Philippines will 'vigorously defend what is ours'
Manila (AFP) May 18, 2024 -
The Philippines will "vigorously defend what is ours", President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday, as Manila's maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates.
Marcos told a Philippine Military Academy graduation ceremony that the Southeast Asian country faced "a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles".
His remarks follow a series of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea that have strained diplomatic ties.
Marcos ordered the graduates to "keep our people safe in their homes, our territory secure, our defences against threats strong, and our democracy stable".
"Against intruders who have been disrespecting our territorial integrity, we will vigorously defend what is ours," Marcos said in the speech, which did not specifically mention China.
China Coast Guard vessels have used water cannon against Philippine boats several times in recent months in the contested waters, where there have also been collisions.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion over the waterway has no legal basis.
To press its claims, Beijing deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waterway and has turned several reefs into artificial islands that it has militarised.
A Philippine civilian convoy sailed towards Scarborough Shoal to bring fuel and food supplies for Filipino fishermen in the area this week. It later turned back after one of the boats was shadowed by a Chinese navy ship.
China defends its actions by saying that it takes necessary measures against vessels it says are infringing on its territory.
Marcos said the Philippines' conduct would be "always guided by law and our responsibility as a rules-abiding member of the community of nations".
He has said that Manila will not respond in kind to the use of water cannon against its vessels.
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